Soft Break with a Break Cue

the chicken

the chicken

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'm watching ESPN videos of nine ball matches. Every Pro had a cue for breaking and a cue for regular play.

The majority of Pro's used a soft break in an attempt to pocket the head ball in a side pocket.

So I'm wondering: What's the benefit of using a break cue if the speed of the hit is low and aiming accuracy is paramount?

Would not a player's shooting accuracy improve by using the cue used for 99 percent of all shots played?

Thanks in advance for your comments.

John
 
Good question...I don't really have an answer.

Back when the game was 14-1, players only carried one cue.

Not all tourneys allow a soft break, so maybe that's why pros still carry a break cue?
 
IMO there's nothing wrong with breaking with your playing cue. I've been doing it for years, even with LD shafts, with no damage at all to my cues. Of course, I don't try to smash the CB when I break either. There's a great repeatable way to break...and all it involves is the weight of the cue and timing (not lunging at the rack with your body or cue). Accuracy and timing is what it's all about...not brute force.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

the chicken said:
I'm watching ESPN videos of nine ball matches. Every Pro had a cue for breaking and a cue for regular play.

The majority of Pro's used a soft break in an attempt to pocket the head ball in a side pocket.

So I'm wondering: What's the benefit of using a break cue if the speed of the hit is low and aiming accuracy is paramount?

Would not a player's shooting accuracy improve by using the cue used for 99 percent of all shots played?

Thanks in advance for your comments.

John
Click to expand...
 
the chicken said:
I'm watching ESPN videos of nine ball matches. Every Pro had a cue for breaking and a cue for regular play.

The majority of Pro's used a soft break in an attempt to pocket the head ball in a side pocket.

So I'm wondering: What's the benefit of using a break cue if the speed of the hit is low and aiming accuracy is paramount?

Would not a player's shooting accuracy improve by using the cue used for 99 percent of all shots played?

Thanks in advance for your comments.

John
Click to expand...

There are several good reasons for using your break cue to break soft:

1) Maybe it has a phenolic tip, which will help reduce unwanted spin on a less than perfectly struck cue ball

2) Familiarity...you are *used* to having *that* cue in your hand when breaking

3) Time...you have a few moments to walk over to your chair and grab your playing cue...again a process you may be used to, which gives you some time to collect yourself and consider the tbale layout you just broke

There are probably other reasons but these ones jump to mind. I usually use my breaking cue when I soft break.

KMRUNOUT
 
Thanks for your comments, KMRUNOUT!

I had not considered any of your reasons. However, after reading them, they all make good sense. I especially liked your comment about a phenolic tip reducing unwanted spin on the CB when breaking.

Now, I'm going to resurrect my break cue and practice implementing your comments into my routine.

Thanks,

John
 
I think they may use a breaking cue simply because they don't want to risk flatting their regular playing cues tip with the break shot. They may not want to risk damaging their regular playing cue with a break shot either. They also may have a different shaft size on their breaking cue that they prefer over their regular cue. The list can go on and on. Regardless of their reasoning they obviously have a their breaking cue for a reason and I am sure every pro has different answers as to why they used their breaking cue over their regular cue. I personally use my regular cue to break but I put my standard shaft on for the break then switch to my LD shaft afterwards.
 
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